7/13/10

Let's have a cheeseburger shall we? No no, I mean a real cheeseburger filled with lots of good stuff and layers of FLAVOR. You with me? Good. Because you're going to have to try this. I've never given you homework, and wouldn't think of giving you homework during the summer, but this is mandatory--you must make these. OK? They will not let you down.
I've never tried a pimento cheeseburger. I know, dumb.
Recently on the Food Network I saw bobby flay make pimento burgers, then literally a couple days later paula deen, and then I got curious and hungry, and figured it was a sign for me to make them already. Bobby nor Paula didn't use a balsamic dressing, I just had to--the burgers, the cheese just went so well with the balsamic reduction.
Are pimento burgers a southern thing? I think so right?
Well they should be a northern thing too. Normally the pimento cheeseburger doesn't have this balsamic reduction, but I just wanted to add an extra layer of flavor, and I'm really glad I did--they blended perfectly. Let me share with you a couple of my cook notes.
Cook notes: I was going to add tomatoes to these but they would have made everything too watery. The pimento sauce isn't that thick and runs a bit when heated up.
Make sure to use a good sharp cheddar cheese.
I think adding a layer of crispy bacon would work well on this, but add it to the bottom of the burger not next to the sauce so the sauce still stands out. Use sweet onions on this not red onions; red onions are a bit overwhelming and the pimento sauce gets lost. Always toast your buns!
You know this already.

In a bowl, combine cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos, grated onion, and worcestershire. Cover place in fridge till ready to use.
Season patties with salt and pepper. I like to use an 85% lean ground beef or chuck. Cook burgers the way you like them and when done top with the pimento cheese cover with a bowl and let cheese melt a bit. Serve on toasted onion rolls or ciabatta rolls, top with thinly sliced sweet onions, lettuce and some of the balsamic reduction.

tomato-balsamic reduction

1/4 cup of high quality balsamic vinegar
3- 4 TB ketchup

place in a sauce pan and reduce down over medium to low heat. you know its done when you have a nice thick syrup. this should take about 15 minutes or so.

I have seen pimiento spread everywhere lately and it has absolutely convinced me that I need it in my life. Now. Can you just convince my med school teachers to make all of our homework this delicious?

yes, i've made pimento cheeseburgers and am glad to see that you tried them too. i posted my version a month ago and stuff mine with the cheese mixture instead of topping them with it. hope you stop by and check my version out too. Roz @ La Bella Vita http://bellavita-bellasblog.blogspot.com

Beautiful photos and post! I have two burger eaters in my home, my husband and son. I am always looking for new and interesting ways to cook burgers and this looks so good, never tried with pimento cheese. I definately will make these! Thanks for sharing!

Made this tonight along with the bacon peanut butter cookies, except I saved some dough to make pazookie's with, major hit with them half baked and vanilla icecream on top. I should have also used thicker patties, but the taste was out of this world. I am so happy I discovered your blog. I discovered about 2 months ago and have made the short ribs and also the sweet potato muffins. Everything is outrageous. You have true talent.

about vanilla sugar blog

Unique eats, creative recipes, as simple as possible.What drives me to create? Seeing dishes in restaurants, meals created on TV, recipes in cookbooks/online, and I always think to myself why didn’t they add this or why did they leave out that? Love to question, love to research, and love to learn about combining different flavors and textures in recipes.Recipe creations please email: vanillasugarblog@aol.com